October 05, 2015

MINI-VERTICAL OF DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER'S RECENT FIVE WHITES

October 2nd, 2015

"Domaine de Chevalier, a jewel nestled deep in the pine trees of Bordeaux's Pessac-Léognan, has a long history of producing age-worthy reds and whites. Both show incredible depth of fruit and unique character from the stony soil of the vineyards that span across 45 hectares in Graves.

Many of the reds from the 1950s and 1960s are still excellent now, and its recent vintages seem to hark back to the halcyon days of great winemaking from this estate. In fact, the past eight or nine years could be the best vintages ever from here, says James. Its humble red from the 2013 vintage reminds James of their wines from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s – vintages that could compete with the classic Graves such as Haut-Brion or La Mission Haut-Brion.

Its 2012 red, for instance, shows outstanding aging potential and its latest2014 vintage is already balanced and fine when James tasted it from barrel this year.

But what truly made this winery a world-class estate and a fixture on most wine aficionados’ and collectors’ list is invariably its whites. A blend of semilion and sauvignon blanc, the wines often fetch lofty prices at auctions along with top names such as Haut Brion Blanc and La Mission Haut Brion Blanc. And it ages incredibly well.

Its 2010 blanc is a near perfect wine that shows amazing density and character. One would imagine its 2011 vintage would be hard to compete with the previous year, especiall given the difficult growing season in Bordeaux, its 2011 blanc, however, turns out to be phenomenal quality and is one of the top Bordeaux 2014 releases rated by James. In fact, the success of the vintage for the wine illustrates how great 2011 is for dry white Bordeaux as James wrote earlier, calling it “a year to buy white wines from Bordeaux”. The wine is on pour at our Great Wines of the World event in Hong Kong on November 5 at Four Seasons Hotel. This is your chance to taste the pinnacle of Bordeaux white, get your ticket here.

One thing that impresses James about the chateau's whites is their complexity that is often seen in reds, but rarely in whites. Its 2012 blanc reminds James of the complex character found in a Pessac-Léognan red, and its 2013 blanc has more weight than the reds made in 2013, says James. Its latest 2014 blanc is another stellar wine, dense and mascular with layers of fruit as James comments in the tasting note.

The Bernard family, who purchased the winery in 1983, have everything to do with the sucess of the chateau and with the stellar whites and reds vintage after vintage, they are one of the best winemakers in Bordeaux right now. Below are five whites from 2010 to 2014, ranked by score; click on the names for notes and scores. Natalie Wang, managing editor JamesSuckling.com"

Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2014 : A solid and muscular Domaine de Chevalier with layers of fruit. Very dense, loads of flavor. Full body, bright acidity and a long, long finish. Tangy acidity. It lasts for minutes. 95-96 (March 27th, 2015)

Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2013 : This white is so dense and powerful, with a finish that lasts for minutes. Pear, lemon, grapefruit and loads of minerals. Has more weight than all the red wines made in 2013. Full body. Profound depth. I look forward to tasting this from bottle in a few years. 97-98 (April 4th, 2014)

Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2012 : This is very tender and pretty with very fine elements. Dried lemons, minerals and lilac as well as character of oyster shell and iodine. Full body, yet refined and long. You normally see this sort complex character in reds from Pessac-Leognan. Fascinating young white. 95 (November 14th, 2013)

Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2011 : Amazing nose of dried fruits from peaches to apples to mangos. Pink grapefruit too. Full and very powerful white with an incredible length and intensity. It's like a beautiful block of velvet in your mouth. It goes on for minutes. It becomes so mineraly and subtly fruity at the end. Turns just to honey. Wow 97-98 (April 1st, 2012)

Domaine de Chevalier blanc 2010 : A white with a phenomenal density and richness with creme brulee, apple pie and pear tart character. It's so agile and balanced. Full body, with tangy fruit and a long finish. Crazy intensity and style to this. Speechless. Best dry white from here. Try in 2018. 99 (November 14th, 2013)

February 04, 2015

The best 100 Bordeaux I tasted in 2014 underline one simple rule: The 2011 vintage is a year to buy white wine from Bordeaux.

Sure, some outstanding reds were made – particularly those from top vineyards in Pessac-Léognan, Pomerol and Saint-Emilion – but it was the dry and sweet whites of the region that were of phenomenal quality.

http://www.jamessuckling.com/the-top-100-bordeaux-of-2014.html

DOMAINE DE CHEVALIER BLANC PESSAC-LÉOGNAN TASTING NOTE

Score

99

A white that is dense and structured with amazing honey and dried-fruit character. Mango, pineapple and papaya. Chalky undertones from the soil. Full and chewy with a beautiful depth of fruit and intensity. So much going on here. Phenomenal depth of fruit. Why drink grand cru Burgundy? Better in 2017.

Country

France

Region

Bordeaux

Vintage

2011

Date

January 28th, 2014

I did think twice about naming my 2014 Bordeaux Wine of the Year the stunning Sauternes from Château Guiraud, considering I scored the Château La Mission Haut-Brion a perfect 100 points. Yet the Guiraud costs under US $100 while still offering amazing richness and complexity. It is the greatest wine ever made at Guiraud and is a monument to the great wine region of Sauternes.

October 31, 2014

TOP 100 WINES OF 2014,

TASTING NOTE

Score

99

A white that is dense and structured with amazing honey and dried-fruit character. Mango, pineapple and papaya. Chalky undertones from the soil. Full and chewy with a beautiful depth of fruit and intensity. So much going on here. Phenomenal depth of fruit. Why drink grand cru Burgundy? Better in 2017.

My colleague Nick Stock and I posted more than 10,000 tasting notes on JamesSuckling.com in the past year; with all the great wines among them, it was difficult to pick the best.

The Top 100 Wines of 2014 below are based primarily on ratings. I considered all wines that scored 96pointsor more during the past 11 months, and that had at least 6,000 bottles in production. Finally, I ordered the wines according to what I thought were the most exciting: the ones with the wow factor.

I also considered as my Wine of the Year the glorious Château Guiraud 2011. This is clearly an amazing wine for the money, with bottles costing about US$70. And it shows all the depth, richness and structure one could possibly expect in a great sweet wine.

Then, of course, there was the pinot noir of Peter Michael Winery of California. Some people probably think that PM only makes great cabernets, but its pinots are equally compelling.

No. 6, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, illustrates how great 2011 is for dry white Bordeaux, while No. 7, Aldo Conterno Barolo Romirasco, highlights the wonderful possibilities of the 2010 vintage for Barolo. The vintage made some harmonious nebbiolos that have excellent structure but remain balanced and refined, giving them drinkability.

And finally, at No. 10, Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut 2006 is one of the best 2006 champagnes yet released, with layers of character and bone-dry intensity.

February 17, 2014

James Suckling was back to Bordeaux in January. He tasted more than 600 Bordeaux 2011 in bottle and published his "Bordeaux 2011 - Top 40" (made of Right or left Bank, red, white or sweet wines).We are proud for the score of 99 Points of DOMAINE de CHEVALIER BLANC 2011 (97-98 en Primeurs, two years ago).Double Pleasure: Château Guiraud obtained the same score of 99 Pts

"A white that is dense and structured with amazing honey and dried-fruit character. Mango, pineapple and papaya. Chalky undertones from the soil. Full and chewy with a beautiful depth of fruit and intensity. So much going on here. Phenomenal depth of fruit. Why drink grand cru Burgundy? Better in 2017."

Deep glowing crimson. Polished and dense – glowing. Racy and much more lively and fruity than most. Definitely a success for 2011! GV

May 31, 2012

During the En Primeur's Week we presented our wines to our friends and customers from around the world, along with Stephan von Neiperg (Château Canon La Gafelière), Robert Peugeot and XavierPlanty (Château Guiraud).

2011 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge: From an assemblage of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the wine will be aged in 40% new oak. With earth, spice, blackberry and smoke, this elegant, polished wine ends with spicy red and black fruit with dark cherries. 90-92 Pts

Dom de Chevalier 2011 Pessac-Léognan 17.5 Drink 2015-2025 Inviting, creamy mealy citrus aroma. Lemon tart, oak delicate on the nose. Reassuring. Firm and savoury and rich on the palate but with great acidity. Greengage and grapefruit complementing each other. Power and freshness combined. Concentrated citrus purity on the end. Good length. (JH)

Generous medium bodied red with the caressing tannins classic to Domaine de Chevalier. The aromatics are muted in this sample but on the palate there is plummy, generous flavours and velvety tannins. Well made Pessac Leognan red with a fairly long length. (91-93)

2011 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France

The white wines of Bordeaux are wonderful because they balance concentration with fresh acidity and lovely aromatics and this Domaine de Chevalier Blanc is a perfect example. Full bodied, opulent white that has wonderful depth and layers of flavours. Fantastic wine filled with passion fruit and dragon fruit flavours and great length. Bravo to Olivier Bernard. (93-95)

château Lespault-Martillac :

2011 Château Lespault-Martillac, Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France

A charming red wine that is generous yet lean; the tannins are supple, ripe and velvety with ripe plummy flavours balanced by fresh acidity. Well made wine by the team that makes Domaine de Chevalier. (90-91)

Full bodied oaky style but with plenty of dense fruit to support it. A wonderful, concentrated white wine with focus and fresh acidity. Olivier Bernard and his team have been making this wine for last two years. Well crafted wine with a long finish. (90-91)

The Wine Review - CH’NG Poh Tiong

The top wines of Bordeaux 2011 Vintage

Domaine de Chevalier Blanc * * * * *

Pale green. The nose is of guavas, grapefruit and mint. Intensity and persistence. Great purity and amazing vitality and length. The JJ Prum of dry white Bordeaux and perhaps the most consistent and impressive producer of dry white Bordeaux.

Amazing nose of dried fruits from peaches to apples to mangos. Pink grapefruit too. Full and very powerful white with an incredible length and intensity. It's like a beautiful block of velvet in your mouth. It goes on for minutes. It becomes so mineraly and subtly fruity at the end. Turns just to honey. Wow.

Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Leognan (Red) 92-93

Very polished tannins to this refined and beautiful red with minerals and blackberries. Some wet earth too. Full and very integrated now.

95–97 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc (Pessac-Léognan). A powerful wine that’s full of wood and ripe tropical-fruit flavors. It also has an intensely mineral structure that powers the wine right through to the concentrated finish. —R.V.

“Breath taking”. Tasting at the Château with Olivier Bernard is always one of the highlights of our week. He tells it like it is, every time. Also, the tasting is always fabulous. The estate is best known for its legendary white wine, but, for me, since the truly stunning 2005, his red is up there with some of the super seconds and I have bought at least a case every year since 2005. 2011 again is exceptional. It has a seamless balance between power and finesse. Cool and focussed with such fine tannins you hardly notice them. It’s the definition for me that makes it stand out. It doesn’t have the decadence of Pontet-Canet or the power of Lynch-Bages, but it sort of sits between the two for me, in not only structure but taste. If that’s the case, what’s not to like at approximately half the price? One of my top wines of the vintage.(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director) 17,5 /20

This is my wine of the vintage. Don’t mess about, tell it like it is. Flawless like a perfect diamond. When we look at wines we are always looking for perfect harmony and balance, and rather sadly looking for what’s wrong with a wine, rather than what’s right with it. Is the acidity too high, given the alcohol and weight of fruit? Are the tannins too tough for the amount of fruit? Here, this year, it was too easy. The wine is perfect. The richness of ripe fruit is close to exotic but not flabby because of the delicious balance of acidity and freshness. Heavenly. It’s going to be a nightmare getting any due to the small crop, but if you can, do. Surpasses even the brilliant 2007.(Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director) 19,5 /20

Neal MARTIN _ The Wine Journal

2011 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge 90-92 The 2011 is a blend of two-thirds Cabernet and one-third Merlot but Olivier Bernard then mentioned that is includes 6% Petit Verdot. The nose is closed at first but it demonstrates fine precision with blackcurrant, boysenberry, limestone and graphite aromas, again, almost Pauillac like in profile. The palate is medium-bodied with chalky tannins on the entry, crisp acidity: a Domaine de Chevalier struck through with a citric like freshness. A little abrupt and “spiky” on the finish perhaps, but this is a fine, masculine, classic Domaine de Chevalier for mid-term drinking. Tasted April 2012.

May 04, 2012

On the occasion of the 2011 En Primeurs, an interview for the online wine merchant Millesima by Frédéric Lot. Back on the weather of 2011, so surprising ... And start talking about this young vintage ...

April 13, 2012

Just returned from a week in Bordeaux tasting Bordeaux En Primeurs 2011, Will Lyons writes today in Wall Street Journal :

"They can build the most sophisticated, technologically advanced wineries in the world, match them with immaculate, temperate cellars, and employ the most talented winemakers of a generation. But behind the neoclassical facades of Bordeaux's spectacular châteaux, the Bordelais understand that however much attention to detail they lavish on their vines, they cannot control mother nature..."Read the article

His Selection :

Sublime :

Châteaux that have made very good wines this year.

• Château Lafite Rothschild, 1er Cru Classe, Pauillac

• Château L'Evangile, Pomerol

• Château Ausone, 1er Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Émilion

• Château Palmer, 3eme Cru Classe, | Margaux

• Château Le Tertre Rôteboeuf, Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Émilion

• Château Lafleur, Pomerol

• Château Lynch-Bages, 5er Cru Classe, Pauillac

• Vieux Château Certan, Pomerol

• Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, Cru Classe, Graves (White)

• Pavilion Blanc, Château Margaux, Margaux (White)

• Château d'Yquem, Sauternes

Good :

Châteaux that have produced wines of an above-average quality in 2011.